Veal Capsicum and Basil Rissoles

A Rissole is a patty made from any minced ingredients mixed with seasoning and binder. The mixture is then pressed together into shapes round, flat or egg shaped and normally coated in a flour or breadcrumb mix and fried. The ingredients vary such as minced meat, minced fish, mushrooms, lentil, cheese and the binder is usually egg, water, milk, flour or breadcrumbs.

Mushroom Sauce

Mushrooms contain almost no fat, sugar or salt and are a valuable source of dietary fiber. They have been used for thousands of years both as food and for medicinal purposes. Mushrooms are in fact fungi and can convey their own flavour to other food or take on the flavour of other ingredients and normally intensify during cooking. Their texture holds fine to regular cooking methods, including stir-frying and sautéing. It is popular to add mushrooms to soups, salads and sandwiches or to use them as an appetizer. They add an appealing aroma to vegetable based casseroles and stews.

Turkey Green Peppercorn and Bacon Meatloaf

Turkey meatloaf is made with ingredients such as turkey mince, egg, breadcrumbs, diced onions or peppers. Adding sauce or light gravy can provide a smoother texture rich with flavour. Rolled oats can be used instead of breadcrumbs. Turkey meatloaf tastes unique with ketchup, gravy, mustard and a wide selection of other sauces. Be creative by harmonizing with the accompaniment such as mashed potatoes, sweet potato fries, a rice pilaf or even a soup. This recipe delivers a satiated of flavour with the green peppercorn speckled through the meatloaf.

Yogurt Mint Sauce

Yogurt is a flexible food and is excellent for dips and toppings. It can also be used as a substitute for many high-fat foods. Use yogurt in place of mayonnaise. Combining equal amounts of low calorie mayonnaise and low fat yogurt works well for many dishes such as potato salad, coleslaw, pasta salad, tuna salad, dips and appetizers. Plain yogurt can often be substituted for milk, buttermilk or sour cream in recipes such as waffles, pancakes and muffins. Yogurt shakes and smoothies are a low fat alternative to ice cream.

Butter Rice (Ghee Rice)

Ghee is an essential element in Indian cuisine. Ghee Rice is rice fried in clarified butter (ghee) along with aromatic spices and then cooked to perfection. It is finally seasoned with Fried onions, Cashews and Raisins. This greatly aromatic dish is a perfect complement to many foods and it stands well as a meal.

Chicken Meatballs with Butter Rice and Mint Yogurt Sauce

Ghee  normally known as clarified butter  is made by simmering unsalted butter in a cooking vessel until all the water has boiled off and the milk solids have settled to the bottom. After removing the froth that has floated to the top the clarified butter is carefully poured out of the vessel leaving the milk solids on the bottom of the pan undisturbed. Ghee can be stored for extended periods without refrigeration kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation.

Chicken and Lemon Meatballs

Chicken is a very popular food throughout the world, it is delicious, nutritious and can be prepared a multitude of ways. Chicken is adaptable to any cooking methods such as roasting, broiling, grilling, poaching and combined with a broad range of herbs and spices. Using chicken mince adds another range of possibilities.

Dill Pikelets with Sour Cream Tuna Salad

A pikelet in Australia is a 5 cm in diameter small unsweetened pancake with simple ingredients similar to a crepe and used for breakfast. It is also a very popular afternoon tea delight with jam and cream. This is a savoury recipe and can be used as a starter, canapé or for a light lunch.

Sour Cream Tuna Salad

The tuna used in a salad is usually pre cooked or canned and Tuna salad is normally a combination of the three key ingredients tuna, celery or relish and mayonnaise. The salad is generally served on top of lettuce, tomato, avocado or a combination of these.

Dill Pikelet

A pikelet in Australia is a 5 cm in diameter small unsweetened pancake with simple ingredients similar to a crepe and used for breakfast. It is also a very popular afternoon tea delight with jam and cream. This is a savoury recipe and can be used as a starter, canapé or for a light lunch.

Greek Meatballs and Salad with Tzatziki

This dish using lamb and pork mince meatballs combined with the crisp freshness of salad accompanied by the coolness of Tzatziki is an infusion of taste that transports you to summer in the Greek Islands.

Yogurt and Cucumber Dip

Tzatziki is made of strained goat or sheep yoghurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, pepper, dill, occasionally lemon juice, parsley and mint is added. It is always served cold, as an accompaniment, a sauce and is frequently served with bread as a starter or part of the first course.  I personally enjoy this good fresh versatile yogurt dip recipe.

Featuring Heiko Goldhahn’s "Spaghetti with Warm Rocket Salad"

Born in Germany, I did a lot of cooking with my mother (mutter) and grandmother (oma). I participated in some cooking courses at school and later completed my 4 year apprenticeship. I worked in England for 8 years before moving to Coffs Harbour, Australia. I currently work as evening chef at Coffs C.EX Coffs Harbour. The advantages of being in this industry are travel and presenting various dishes.  I gain a lot of inspiration from chefs such as Rick Stein. It is important that every kitchen should have at least one good sharp knife and peeler.

At home I like to cook a German potato omelet or a superior bratwurst with mustard, perhaps some sauerkraut.  I also enjoy a good Beef Stroganoff or a steak. I believe there are too many fast food inspired outlets when with a few ingredients in your pantry such as semidried tomato, ham, cream and pasta it is so easy to make a quick nutritious meal.

Some years ago I worked at a restaurant whereby we had to write up the menu for the next day on a blackboard. One of our suggested dishes was “Poached Salmon Legs with vegetables” along with some other dishes.

The next day we asked the person who wrote the menu on the blackboard “did you see the menu?” the person replied, “Yes I have seen it” and walked away. Later on that day we advised we were all out of Salmon Legs and asked for the dish to be removed from the menu please!!

Presenting one of my favourite pasta recipes "Spaghetti with Warm Rocket Salad"

Greek Meatballs

Keftedes are Greek meatballs served as an appetizer and the delicious flavours are prominently created by simple cooking methods. It is a versatile meatball served hot or cold which makes them ideal to have on a picnic or included on a platter. The traditional recipe involves frying the meatballs in oil, however they can be baked in the oven or cooked on the BBQ. It is best to prepare the mixture a day ahead or allow it to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking, this allows the meat to become firm and develops the flavour. The meatballs in this recipe have characteristic pork and lamb flavour with a gentle texture.

Greek Rustic Salad

Horiatiki Salata (Greek Salad) is made with pieces of tomatoes, sliced cucumber, green bell peppers, red onion, sliced or cubed feta cheese and Kalamata olives, typically seasoned with salt, pepper and dried oregano, dressed with olive oil. Common additions include the pickled leaves, buds or berries of capers (especially in the Dodecanese islands), vinegar, lemon juice, and chopped parsley. A "Greek salad" is also referring to a lettuce salad with Greek inspired ingredients, dressed with oil and vinegar. Lettuce, tomatoes, feta and olives are the most standard elements in a Greek salad, however cucumbers, Pepperoncini, bell peppers, onions, radishes, dolmades, anchovies/sardines and pickled hot peppers are frequent. This is the traditional version that does not include lettuce.

Potato and Leek Soup with Crispy Bacon

Leeks and potatoes are a perfect match for a delicious and hearty soup. It is a wonderful rich broth thickened with potatoes, garnished with crispy bacon and fresh parsley. Leeks add a subtle flavour. It is an excellent soup to warm you up during the winter months. 

Cheese Damper

Traditional Australian unleavened bread called Damper is cooked in a damped fire allowing it to bake in the hot coals. The dough was originally made with plain flour, salt and water wrapped around a stick and cooked or put into an iron pot and buried in the hot coals. It is eaten with pieces of dried fried meat or a spread of golden syrup along with a Billy tea, perhaps adding a swig of rum. Billy tea is brewed in a small can or pot called a billycan. Recipes using butter and self raising flour came later presenting a lighter appetizing product.

I often use this fantastic Cheese Damper as an accompaniment to any quality soup.

Mythological Stone Soup

An old stranger was walking through the land when he arrived in a little rural community. When he enters the villagers walked to their homes locking doors and windows. The man smiled and asked why they are so alarmed. I am a simple traveler looking for a soft place to stay for the night and a warm place for a meal. The people said there is nothing to eat in the whole area and he replied “I have everything I need, in fact I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you.” Taking an iron cauldron from his cloak and filling it with water he began to build a fire under it. With great ritual, he took a regular stone from a shiny bag and dropped it into the water.

Snapper Fillets on Corn Fritter Salad

The Australasian snapper is a species of porgie found in coastal waters of New Zealand and Australia. It is highly valued as an eating fish and though it is known as snapper it does not belong to the Lutjanidae family. Their mild flavored taste and flaky texture make them popular with diners who have a desire for fish.

Banana Cake Pudding

This banana pudding is more like a cake, it has a nice rich banana flavour and moist texture. I regularly use it for dessert in the winter months.

Glazed Chicken Oysters with Angel Hair Pasta

Oysters are two small, round pieces of dark meat on the back of poultry near the thigh, in the hollow on the dorsal side of the ilium bone. I regard the "oyster meat" to be the most flavourful and tender part of the bird. Compared to dark meat found in other parts of the bird, the oyster meat has a somewhat firm/taut texture which gives it a distinct mouth feel. In French, this part of the bird is called "sot-l'y-laisse" which translates, roughly, to "the fool leaves it there", as unskilled carvers sometimes accidentally leave it on the skeleton.

Cheesecake Tart

Cheesecake has a long history, it is a dessert consisting of a sweet pastry base topped with a mixture of cheese, eggs, sugar and flavouring such as vanilla and lemon. They are so popular here in Australia that there are shops designated to the sale of cheesecakes alone. This recipe is my most admired recipe and I have used it productively for over 20 years.

Mudcake

Recipes develop over time and the Mud Cake is a fairly new kind along with the Mud Pie and the Dirt Cake. I believe the mud cake arrived in the late 70’s from the Mississippi Brownie recipe minus nuts. The texture is supposed to correspond to the thick mud along the banks of the Mississippi river. I was given a recipe on Mud Cake while travelling in America and over time it turned into this lovely cake, which I have been using productively for years in my profession.